Roundup: Cieslak second for UF men's swimming

Special to Gatorsports.com

Published: Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 11:41 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 11:41 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS — The University of Florida men's swimming and diving team grabbed five top-eight finishes and 10 total swims on the first night of competition at the 2013 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. The Gators tallied 97 points on the night and they are currently sixth in the standings. They collected 13 All-America honors to start the championship.

With the best finish of the day for a Gator, junior Marcin Cieslak finished second in the 200 IM with a time of 1:41.45. He went out strong and had the lead heading into the final turn but couldn't hold on as Stanford's David Nolan took the win. He finished second in the event last season.

Their appearance in the championship final earns them each All-America honors.

Returning to the NCAA Championships after taking a year off for the Olympics last season was redshirt junior Sebastien Rousseau. He swam a solid race to finish 8th overall in a time of 4:15.32, almost the exact time of his prelim swim earlier today. He earned the seventh All-America honor of his career as a Gator.

DeBorde swam in his second of three championship finals with his appearance in the 50 free. He finished fifth in the event with a time of 19.40. It was the first time he has made the championship final at the NCAA Championships, and he earned the ninth All-America honor of his career.

Two Gators appeared in the consolation final of the 200 IM to earn honor-mention All-American. Sophomore Dan Wallace finished 11th as he improved on his personal-best from this morning with a time of 1:43.31. He earned the second All-America honor of his career with the swim. Also in the field was fellow sophomore Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez who finished 14th in a time of 1:44.30.

The first night was concluded with the 400 medley relay as Main, sophomore Matt Elliott, Cieslak and deBorde combined for a time of 3:08.40 to finish seventh overall.

They trailed early, but a strong anchor leg by deBorde, in his third event of the night, pushed them into seventh.

TRACK & FIELD: At Austin, Texas, seven Gators were in action on the second day of the 86th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. Two members of the Gators stood out with their performances at the prestigious meet, held at the Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Kyle Strawn set a new personal best in the men's hammer throw, utilizing his second throw of the meet to finish fourth with a mark of 62.36m/204-7.

“Kyle stepping up in a big meet and setting a new personal best shows he has a bright future in this program,” UF track coach Mike Holloway said.

Strawn has thrown personal bests in the opening two weekends of the 2013 outdoor season, besting his previous personal-best of 62.20m from the UCF Invitational last weekend.

Ugonna Ndu qualified for the finals of the women's 400-meter hurdles with her preliminary time of 58.59, just missing out on the heat victory behind Arkansas' Sparkle McKnight. Ndu will race in the finals at 7:45 p.m.

The Gators have a full day Friday, starting with the women's javelin at 10:30 a.m. and the relays beginning on the track at 10:35 a.m.

“I'm looking forward to another exciting day from the Gators (today),” Holloway said. “It's great to be a Florida Gator.”

<p>INDIANAPOLIS — The University of Florida men's swimming and diving team grabbed five top-eight finishes and 10 total swims on the first night of competition at the 2013 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. The Gators tallied 97 points on the night and they are currently sixth in the standings. They collected 13 All-America honors to start the championship.</p><p>With the best finish of the day for a Gator, junior Marcin Cieslak finished second in the 200 IM with a time of 1:41.45. He went out strong and had the lead heading into the final turn but couldn't hold on as Stanford's David Nolan took the win. He finished second in the event last season.</p><p>In a blisteringly fast 200 free relay final, Florida's group of junior Brad deBorde, freshman Corey Main, freshman Pawel Werner and sophomore Matthew Curby finished eighth with a time of 1:18.29. </p><p>Their appearance in the championship final earns them each All-America honors.</p><p>Returning to the NCAA Championships after taking a year off for the Olympics last season was redshirt junior Sebastien Rousseau. He swam a solid race to finish 8th overall in a time of 4:15.32, almost the exact time of his prelim swim earlier today. He earned the seventh All-America honor of his career as a Gator.</p><p>DeBorde swam in his second of three championship finals with his appearance in the 50 free. He finished fifth in the event with a time of 19.40. It was the first time he has made the championship final at the NCAA Championships, and he earned the ninth All-America honor of his career.</p><p>Two Gators appeared in the consolation final of the 200 IM to earn honor-mention All-American. Sophomore Dan Wallace finished 11th as he improved on his personal-best from this morning with a time of 1:43.31. He earned the second All-America honor of his career with the swim. Also in the field was fellow sophomore Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez who finished 14th in a time of 1:44.30.</p><p>The first night was concluded with the 400 medley relay as Main, sophomore Matt Elliott, Cieslak and deBorde combined for a time of 3:08.40 to finish seventh overall. </p><p>They trailed early, but a strong anchor leg by deBorde, in his third event of the night, pushed them into seventh.</p><p>Here are the top-10 teams after the first full day of competition: Michigan (153), California (123.5), Auburn (112.5), Southern California (100), Texas (99), Florida (97), Arizona (81), Stanford (81), Indiana (68) and Georgia (34).</p><p><b>TRACK & FIELD:</B> At Austin, Texas, seven Gators were in action on the second day of the 86th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. Two members of the Gators stood out with their performances at the prestigious meet, held at the Mike A. Myers Stadium.</p><p>Kyle Strawn set a new personal best in the men's hammer throw, utilizing his second throw of the meet to finish fourth with a mark of 62.36m/204-7.</p><p>“Kyle stepping up in a big meet and setting a new personal best shows he has a bright future in this program,” UF track coach Mike Holloway said.</p><p>Strawn has thrown personal bests in the opening two weekends of the 2013 outdoor season, besting his previous personal-best of 62.20m from the UCF Invitational last weekend.</p><p>Ugonna Ndu qualified for the finals of the women's 400-meter hurdles with her preliminary time of 58.59, just missing out on the heat victory behind Arkansas' Sparkle McKnight. Ndu will race in the finals at 7:45 p.m.</p><p>The Gators have a full day Friday, starting with the women's javelin at 10:30 a.m. and the relays beginning on the track at 10:35 a.m.</p><p>“I'm looking forward to another exciting day from the Gators (today),” Holloway said. “It's great to be a Florida Gator.”</p><p>The four-day meet continues today and Saturday.</p>